Tufting



(No Model.)

A. PRESGHL.

TUFTING.

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ALFRED FRSOHL, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN.

TuFTplNe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,385, dated April 9, 1895.

Application filed April 26, 1894. Serial Noi 509,I[5. (No model.)

To all whom if may concern: Be it known that I, ALFRED FREscHL, citizen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Tufting; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art. to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

VMy invention relates to an improved method and means of making tufting for use in up* holstering, and to the article produced thereby, and the objects of my invention are to simplify and cheapen the cost of manufacture, secure liexibility, and increased convenience in its application to furniture, dre., and at the same time have it possess beauty and uniformity of appearance, while it is sufficiently durable for the purposes for which it is intended; and it consists in a novel method and product, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved tuftiug when completed. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the same; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the mold and the tnfting in the process of manufacture. In this View the forming block is shown as it appears before being pressed down into a cell of the mold, against the ornamental fabric, and also as it appears after having lbeen pressed down into a cell, against the fabric. l

Similar letters referto similar parts in each view.

In the drawings, A represents a suitable base which is formed with grooves a, corresponding to the shape of the mold or former B which is placed in the same, and O represents a forming block. The former or mold B, may be of any desired shape and depth, and is constructed of metallic strips, which are set edgewise in the groovesin the base A, as shown.

In my method of manufacturing tufting, I first spread the fabric or material forming the outer surface of the tufting, with its finished ornamental face downward upon the mold, and arrange dierent portions of it,progress ively or successively, within the cells or chambers of the mold as follows: Fabric material enough to form one tuft is pressed into a cell or chamber, either by a block O, or by the hand; and this formed tuft, if produced by `hand without the aid of the block O, is seit is pressed down and then raised out of the cell and the filling or stufng is inserted .and confined by a `piece of card board M. It is preferable to thus completely arrange each tuft before a succeeding tuft is commenced, as, by this means, any chance for a portion of the quantity of material required for one tuft, being drawn out of the cell, is prevented, and no portion of the material used in forming a preceding tuft, will be used in forming a succeeding tuft, and thus uniformity of shape and depth of the respective tufts is insured. All of the tufts are formed successively, or progressively, in thesarne manner as the one first formed. When all the tufts have been stuffed and each has had a piece of card board pressed down uponits stuffing or filling material, tiush with the upper edges of each cell, a narrow space, equal to the thickness of the partitions of the mold,| remains between each of the tufts, on all sides, or all around, and a chance for the ornamental fabric to come in contact with the top edges of the partitions of the mold, is afforded, and thus a flexible connection is secured between each tuft when the product is finished, and at the same time a supporting foundation for the filling for each tuft is also secured. The several foundation pieces are kept in place by means of a flexible backing E formed of canvas or other material, and glued or cemented or otherwise suitably secured to the ICO surface of the tufted fabric at the points where the tufting material comes in contact with the top edges of the partitions of the mold or former. The backing E is attached at its outer edges directly to the surface material, where it turns over the edges of the mold. The glue or cement may be so spread as to also cover the card board pieces, and thus the backing be glued to them as well as to the ornamental fabric. After the glue is dry the fabric is removed from the mold, and

may be finished with buttons N, N, if desired,

for ornamentation.

The separated card board pieces M constitute an essential feature of my invention, as they enable me to produce tufting of the most perfect character out of fine as Well as coarse materials. It is very important to employ the separate pieces of card board for retaining the filling in each of the respective tufts until all the tufts are formed. Furthermore, by their use fiexibility is secured, and facilities are afforded for gluing or cementing the tufted fabric to the canvas or other backing sheet, a result that has not heretofore been effected with plaited tufted fabrics. A con tinuous piece of card board has been employed as a foundation, and under such construction the gluing or cementing'of the tufted fabric to this card board would have interfered with the formation of the plaits, and this being so, the tufts in such plaited fabrics are not held in position independently, and a flexible connection between each of the tufts, all around, is not secured, and consequently the tufting known as plaited tufting, as an article of trade and use, is stiff and cannot be applied conveniently, uniformly, and artistically around curved or uneven surfaces. All of these inconveniences are avoided by my invention, and the same are specially eected by the improved method employing the separated pieces of card board or other analogous material in conjunction with a mold, filling or stuffing substance, ornamental fabric, cementing material and a canvas backing, in the manufacture of tufted fabric as hereinbefore described.

What l claim as my invention is- 1. The improved method of making hand made tufting for upholstery, which consists in laying a piece of pliable material face downward, loosely, over a form having a plurality of depressed molds, pressing the material intosaid molds, filling the depressions formed in the material with a suitable pliable substance, inclosing or covering the filled depressions with separated pieces of card-board or analogous material, and finally applying and permanently securing a backing of cloth or other suitable pliable material over the back of the entire article, substantially as described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, to wit, tufting, which comprises in its construction, an outer ornamental piece of material provided with spaced tufts having a flexible connection between them, and the tufts filled with a suitable yielding material, separate pieces of card-board or equivalent material for holding the filling material in each tuft, in place, and a backing of cloth or suitable pliable material applied over the back of the entire article and permanently secured thereto, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED FRESCHL.

Witnesses:

HENRY HENKEL, CHARLES J. SCHMITT. 

